Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 29th, 2026–May 3rd, 2026

Alpine

Spring Conditions

Treeline

Spring Conditions

Below Treeline

Spring Conditions

Alpine

Spring Conditions

Treeline

Spring Conditions

Below Treeline

Spring Conditions

Alpine

Spring Conditions

Treeline

Spring Conditions

Below Treeline

Spring Conditions

Regions

Jasper, Brazeau, Churchill, Cirrus-Wilson, Fryatt, Icefields, Maligne, Marmot, Miette Lake, Pyramid.

Spring conditions have arrived. Warm temperatures on Wednesday night may limit the amount the snowpack freezes for Thursday morning. Start and end your day early and be ready to turn around if the crust starts to break down.

Confidence

Avalanche Summary

Field team on the 27th observed a large active serac fall off of Snowdome with an impressive powder cloud which made it a fair distance across the flats and likely close to the regular Columbia Icefield ski route. Some other activity was noted the previous week with large avalanches in the Stutfield basin, a wind slab on Mt Wilson, and a serac collapse from below the Normal Ramp route on Mt Athabasca.

Snowpack Summary

Melt-freeze crusts exist on all aspects other than North alpine. Widespread wind affect in the alpine. The snowpack at treeline and below is wet below a surface crust. High, North slopes have remained cool and have a dry, winter-like snowpack.

Weather Summary

Thursday

A mix of sun and cloud.

Precipitation: Nil.

Alpine temperature: High 5 °C.

Ridge wind west: 10-20 km/h.

Freezing level: 2700 metres.

Friday

Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated showers.

Precipitation: Trace.

Alpine temperature: Low 2 °C, High 5 °C.

Ridge wind west: 10-30 km/h.

Freezing level: 2800 metres.

Saturday

Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated showers.

Precipitation: Trace.

Alpine temperature: Low 1 °C, High 6 °C.

Ridge wind light to 20 km/h.

Freezing level: 2900 metres.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Avalanche danger may be LOW in the morning and rapidly transition to HIGH with daytime warming.
Cornices often break further back than expected; give them a wide berth when traveling on ridgetops.

Problems

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.